Hey listeners, this week I'd like to tell you about another great podcast that I think you'll love. It's called Trap Street and it's about an unemployed gamer who receives a mysterious email with two attachments. The first is an image of a woman with red hair and green eyes. The second is an old map of a town called Ocean Bay. What this young man does next will determine the fate of the entire human race. Trap Street is brought to you by the creators of Strange Air, another great show I shared with you a while back. There's a cast of over 40 voice actors who are absolutely terrific in this show. It really does present a compelling story that's totally addictive, and I've no doubt you'll be hooked by the end of the first episode. If you're a fan of supernatural mysteries like The Road of Shadows, then I'm sure this will be right up your alley. And the great thing is that Trap Street is a complete and finished series, so you can binge all the way through to the end right now. Trap Street is available anywhere you listen to podcasts. Visit www.trapstreetpodcast.com for more information. Stay tuned right now near the first episode. And remember, maps have secrets. From the creators of Strange Air, this is Trap Street. Episode 1, San Francisco. Hi, sorry I'm late. I was lost. How is that even possible? Beats me. Did you just move to the city? No, no, I grew up here. That's amazing. What, that I grew up here? No, that you got lost. We were right in the middle of San Francisco. I know, it's just a weird thing. Well, at least you look like your pictures. Thanks, so do you. Are you ready to order? Yes, I'll have a whiskey sour. With bourbon or rye. Bourbon. And you? Uh, Prohibition Ale, please. Great. I'll be right back. So, have you been on many of these dates? No, not really. Just a few. I've been on 19. Is that a lot? Sure feels like it. Well, I promise to make the next hour as entertaining as I possibly can. Hmm, you're sweet. So, what brings you here? Did you break up with someone? Can I be honest? That would definitely make this date stand out from all the others. My best friend's wife gave me a six-month subscription as a gift. Oh, I'm guessing that means you're the third wheel in their marriage. That's funny, I never thought of it that way. Interesting. What? What's interesting? Do you mind if I ask you a personal question? No, no, go ahead. When was your last serious relationship? Well, it's been a while. How long? Probably about five years ago. Five years? Yes. Five? And you're what, 28? 27. I see. What? What do you see? Excuse me, I have to use the restroom. Hey, that's great timing. Why? Because our drinks will probably be here when you get back. Isn't that the best? You leave, there's nothing, you come back, there's a surprise. How is that a surprise? I'm the one who ordered the drink. Well, no, I know. I was just saying... You're sweet. I'll be right back. And here are your drinks. One whiskey sour with bourbon and one Prohibition ale. Would you like anything else? I don't think she's coming back. I saw the look on her face. I think you're right. Stupid zombies. You think you're so smart. All you have is an appetite for human flesh. And I've got enough firepower to... Hi, Mom. I sent the rent last night. Did you check your Venmo account? Honey that not why I calling But yes I did look and the money there Thank you very much Am I the world best tenant or what So how everything Are you working Not right now but I got a few leads It's a good thing your rent obligation is practically nothing compared to everyone else in San Francisco. Admit it. You miss the city. Only when I'm in the mood to freeze my ass off in the middle of summer. So, you're happy in Santa Fe? Ugh, there are no words to describe the level of happiness I'm currently experiencing. And that's why I'm calling. I wanted you to be the first to know. To know what? That I met someone. You met someone? Yes! A man? Yes. Well, I guess it was a matter of time. Don't be difficult, Josh. Your father's been gone five years. I know. That's half a decade. Right. I understand how math works. And you know it wasn't your fault, right? So tell me more about this man you met? Well, his name is Victor. He's from Costa Rica and he runs his own business. What kind of business? He imports local goods from all over Central America. This guy sounds like a drug dealer. Are you being funny? Is that what you're doing? Because I don't find casual racism funny. Sorry. Tell me more. There's not much more to say. We're still getting to know each other. But I'm excited about this relationship because it might have a future. And I'm learning Spanish. Can you believe that? Are you surprised? Oh, Victor is such a wonderful teacher. That's great. And I'm very happy for you, but I have to go now. There's a horde of zombies right outside my door, and it's just a matter of time before they know. With your brain, you could be out there accomplishing great things, wonderful things, but instead you're home playing childish games. It's late. I'm just trying to relax. And you know you have to shoot them in the head, right? Yes, Mom. I know how to kill zombies. Josh. What? Are you happy? I'm not unhappy. Uh, I gotta go, Mom. An email just came in. Someone in Nigeria might need my help. You know those emails are all bullshit, right? I was just making a joke. Whatever. Que tengas buenas noches, mio mio! Did my mother just hang up on me? Amazing. These calls will be the end of me. Anyway, I just received a strange email. There's no name, no subject, and there's nothing here but a weird-looking attachment. So, what are my choices? I can download this file, which will probably infect my computer with all kinds of malware. Or, I can just delete the email and go back to killing zombies. Well, that's an easy choice. Delete. Whoa. Whoa, hang on. What's happening? Wait, did the attachment just download itself? How is that even possible? Delete. Delete. Delete! Why can't I delete this thing? Great. Now the attachment is just sitting there on my desktop. And it's... glowing. The End 20 minutes. And you were meeting her at a bar in North Beach That right Dude that like a 10 minute walk from your place I know You know you been like this since your dad died That has nothing to do with anything I just tend to get lost. Hey, you know what? I have an idea. Take a look at this. Why are you shoving your phone in my face? See that app? That one right there? The one marked Maps? It never works right. You know, I'm sure the engineers at Apple would take exception to that statement. It doesn't matter. She wasn't really my type anyway. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. To be honest, I'm not sure the whole online dating thing is right for me. Oh boy, Aline is not going to be happy. Just tell your wife it was a great gift and I really appreciate her thinking of me as a lonely loser who's desperate to meet someone. Look, she's just trying to help. I know. I know, but I have to find my own way. Would you like anything else? What the hell was that? Cantonese. We have some deals coming up with the company in Macau, so I'm trying to pick up some basic phrases. Do you think he understood? Who knows? I asked for the check. Let's see what he brings. Oh, hey, so listen to this. I got this really strange email last night. It wasn't from anyone, and there was nothing there except for an attachment. Sounds like spam. That's what I thought. But then the attachment downloaded itself. Is your software even set up to do that? No. No, this has never happened before. Well, that's not right. I mean, attachments don't just download themselves. They need like a trigger. Did you click on something? No. Are you sure? Yes, of course I'm sure. Huh. That's odd. And now the file's just sitting there on my desktop. So what's the big deal? just delete the damn thing. I can't. It won't let me. What does that mean? It's all janky. I keep hitting delete, but the file won't delete. Oof. That sounds bad. Your computer could be, like, in some serious danger here. Yeah, and there's one more thing. What? The icon for the file is glowing. Like it's trying to get my attention. That is some weird-ass shit, man. I know. Alright, let's call an expert. What are you doing? I am sending you a text with the name and number of a security specialist my firm uses from time to time. She'll know how to handle this. Got it. Her name's Athena? Yeah, it's just the name she uses. Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, or something like that. Have you met her? No. She could be anyone and everywhere. So she's a hacker. Ooh, word of advice. Don't say that to her. Athena hates the word hacker. I made the mistake of calling her that once and she threatened to wipe out my retirement account. You have a retirement account? Of course. Don't you? I'm 27. Why would I need a retirement account? Dude, it's never too soon to start thinking about the future. And no, you cannot live in my basement when you're an old man. I wish life came with a map. Hello? I got your message. Athena? The one and only. Hey, it's nice to meet you, and I really appreciate your help. This is such a strange situation, and I'm really worried that... Oh, I'm so bored. Oh, sorry. I was just trying to... Check your email. I sent you a link. Got it. Should I click on it? No. Just stare at it. For how long? Are you kidding me right now? Oh, I see. You were being funny. I didn't know hackers had a sense of humor. What did you call me? Uh I called you a slacker Slacker which is actually kind of stupid because you don strike me as someone who likes to hang around and do nothing You seem more like a type A personality who enjoys Please stop talking Now, click on the link. It grants me remote access. Okay. I just did. Whoa, what's happening? Relax. That's just me taking over your computer. I need to see what's going on with this mystery file. Great. Very cool. I can see you moving things around and... Does this mean you can access my browser history? Shut up. I'm working. Speaking of work, I forgot to ask, how much is this going to cost? I don't have a job right now and... You don't owe me anything. Really? Your friend Richard's paying? Which is a good thing, because I checked your financial history and you can't afford me. I completely understand. So, I'm scanning this file. There's a JPEG inside, but the metadata's been removed and there's no timestamp or GPS information. Is that weird? No, it just means the sender didn't want you to know anything about the image. Are you familiar with steganography? You mean like in court? No, that's stenography. Steganography is a technique that attackers use to hide a secret piece of malware inside an image, but I don't see anything malicious here. There's no evidence this code has been tampered with. What about the weird glow? That's a creative twist, but I'm not concerned. I think it's just there to get your attention. Someone really wants you to open this file. And it's just a picture? That's it. This entire situation is so beneath my pay grade. You could have gotten someone from the geek squad to help you. Should we open it? No reason not to. It's probably just porn. All right. Go ahead. Roger that. I am now opening the file. Wow. She's beautiful. Do you know this person? Nope. Is there anything more attractive than a woman with red hair and green eyes? Tell me about it. Wait a minute. What? Is something wrong? There's a second image hidden behind the first one. What is it? I don't know. Let's take a look. Hey, it's a map. Trap Street was written and directed by Tony Martinez. The show was produced by Michael P. Greco and Tony Martinez. Starring Michael P. Greco as Josh Mayfield. featuring Dale Ingram, Nan McNamara, Verona Blue. Thanks for listening. We'll be back soon. And remember, maps have secrets. The Fable and Falling Network, where fiction producers flourish.
